


Vow in the Night

by Ardania22



Category: Senki Zesshou Symphogear
Genre: F/F, Fluffy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2020-10-29
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:27:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27266434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ardania22/pseuds/Ardania22
Summary: Miku's still having nightmares. Hibiki doesn't know how to help. But somehow, they're finding their way forward together.
Relationships: Kohinata Miku/Tachibana Hibiki
Comments: 10
Kudos: 39





	Vow in the Night

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, it's been a while since I wrote some good old-fashioned Hibimiku, huh? It's good to be back. Hope you enjoy!

It was the sound of whimpering that woke Hibiki up.

At first, it was quiet. So quiet she barely even heard it. In the fog of sleep, it barely registered as noise. Just a dull background hum, one more color in the palette of groggy half-consciousness. Hibiki mumbled something incoherent and rolled over. _Whuzzat? Sleepy._

“No… no…”

_Huh._ It sounded like words now. Was someone talking to her? It had to be well past midnight by now. So then, who-

“Please…”

Recognition hit her like a truck. Her eyes snapped open. The world took shape around her. Bedroom. Worn-out ceiling in need of a fresh coat of paint. Bookshelves on the far wall. The muffled chirping of crickets outside. Curtains drawn on the window. Light summer bedsheet. Soft cotton mattress. Sweat. Indentation. Trembling. Someone trembling.

Miku.

“Aaah… hugh…”

She was lying on her side. Breathing in short, panicked bursts. Anxiety shot through Hibiki. If she wasn’t awake before, she was now.

“Hey.”

She caressed Miku’s shoulder. Her stomach twisted into a pretzel; Miku was shaking like a leaf. Her entire body seemed to convulse with the pulse of her breath. Sweat dripped down her cheeks like tears.

Hibiki’s lip trembled. “Miku…”

“Help… heh…”

The voice shook Hibiki out of her paralysis. _Idiot, what are you doing?_

She gently shook Miku’s shoulders. “Hey, Miku. Can you hear me? It’s me.”

Miku’s mouth opened and closed wordlessly. Hibiki swallowed the urge to panic. _She’ll be fine. We’ll be fine._ She pulled Miku in close and hugged her. Every tremor through her wife’s body sent a pang down her spine.

How long had it been now? How long since Shem-ha had possessed her sunshine? How long since the warmest place she knew was almost lost forever? Years had passed, they’d made their relationship official, they’d even gotten married. And still, the nightmares came. Some nights they were easy. Some nights, they didn’t even show up. But other nights, they seemed determined to swallow Miku whole.

“It’s me. It’s Hibiki. I’m here, Miku.”

“Fuuugh…”

What was she seeing, Hibiki wondered? Her own death? Hibiki’s death? Betrayal? Miku never liked to talk about the dark visions her mind dreamed up. It scared her to even think about them. Sometimes, it felt like she locked part of herself away in a little box where no one- not even Hibiki- could touch her. And all Hibiki could do was wait until she worked up the courage to open the box and step outside again.

On instinct, she held Miku tighter. Her sunshine mumbled something incoherent. A deep, painful shudder ran through her. And then… she fell still.

“Hibiki?”

It was a soft voice, muffled by sheets and bodies, wet and heavy and aching. Nevertheless, Hibiki felt the tension in her chest shiver with release. “Hey, Miku.”

She pulled back to look Miku in the face. Damp turquoise eyes stared back at her. Hibiki reached out and tucked a strand of messy hair behind her ear. Her head suddenly felt a lot clearer. Had she been holding in her breath? It sure felt like it. Her hand lingered on Miku’s cheek. She doubted she could pull it away if she tried.

“That looked like a bad one,” she said. “Are you okay?”

For a second, Miku stared at her. Then, miraculously, she smiled. She clasped Hibiki’s hand on her cheek and held it tight. “Yeah. Sorry for waking you.”

“You don’t need to be sorry for that.” Hibiki leaned in and pressed their foreheads together. “Don’t worry. I’m right here.”

“I know.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“I know.”

They lay in silence for a minute. Miku closed her eyes and traced her fingers across Hibiki’s hand. Hibiki listened to the ticking clock. It was funny, in a way. She used to be the world’s champion sleeper. She was always the first one in bed and the last one out of it. But lately, she’d come to really love staying up late and listening to the world at night. No cars, no people, no sign that anything else existed outside their room. They might as well be the last living things on Earth.

“Hey, Hibiki.”

Hibiki stowed her thoughts away. “What’s up, Miku?”

Miku’s fingers paused. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.” Hibiki tried not to shiver at the fear in Miku’s voice.

“It might be weird.”

“Even if it’s weird, I’ll tell you.”

“I mean, it _really_ might be-“

“Miku, I once swallowed a bug because I thought I could keep it safe in my stomach. I can handle a little weird.”

Miku snorted. “Oh my god, really?”

“Did I not tell you before?

“No!” Miku’s eyes sparkled with mirth. “You’ve kept that a secret from me this whole time!”

“Wow. Sorry.”

“You better be!” Miku sat up, brushing hair out of her face. “How old were you, five?”

Hibiki felt herself blushing. “Try… ten?”

“TEN?!”

“I-I-In my defense, it was a really cute bug!” Hibiki stammered. “It was blue, and it had white dots on its wings, and I just wanted to get it somewhere spiders wouldn’t be able to eat it and- OOF!”

She was cut off by Miku collapsing onto her, knocking the air out of her. The beautiful girl giggled into Hibiki’s stomach. The sensation sent laughter bubbling up within Hibiki. “M-Miku!” She gasped out. “That tickles!”

“Good, you deserve it!” Miku wrapped her arms around Hibiki. “I’m never letting you go!”

“Aaaauuuugh!” Hibiki wailed. Laughter overtook her, and she descended into giddiness. _God, look at me._ Two in the morning and she might as well be a toddler on her birthday. She might live to be ninety and never grow out of this. Just the other day, Chris had told her, “The fact you’re still such a kid is either a miracle or a curse.” Tonight, at least, it was definitely a miracle.

Their laughter faded. Hibiki exhaled with a final chuckle. To think that moments earlier, Miku was trembling in her terrified arms. How easy it had become to rely on each other. How comfortable they’d grown weathering the worst together. “You really are amazing.” she mumbled.

“Back at you.” Miku squeezed her tighter.

Hibiki smiled. “So. You still want to ask your question, or…”

A pause. Then, Miku lifted her face and rested her chin of Hibiki’s stomach. Even in the darkness, Hibiki could see her blushing. “I love you. You know that?”

_Eep._ “H-hey, sneak attacks aren’t fair.”

“Too bad.” Miku shifted her weight to better look Hibiki in the face. “I love you so much. And… I wish it still wasn’t so hard to say it sometimes. Even when you make it so easy to believe it.”

Hibiki’s heard shivered. “Oh, Miku…” She reached out and ran her hands through her sunshine’s hair. “Even when you don’t say it, I know.”

_I’m sorry I can’t do more._

“I love you,” she whispered. “I wish I could be half as brave as you one day.”

_I’m sorry you’re still struggling so much._

Miku smiled. “If only I could see myself through your eyes.”

“Hey, I’d happily lend them to you. Maybe there’s some relic with the power to swap our eyes around.”

_I’m sorry I can’t kiss your fear away._

“Maybe.” Slowly Miku pushed herself up Hibiki’s body, until her chin was resting just below her breasts. “But whatever happens, I love you. And I want to say it as many ways as I can. So…”

“So?”

Miku dipped her head down. Up close, her blush seemed to glow in the shadows. “I was wondering… would you… do you want…”

Her voice trailed off. Hibiki felt her stomach threaten to twist up again. “What is it?”

Miku inhaled. Exhaled. Closed her fists and released them. Buried her face in Hibiki’s chest as if to hide her embarrassment.

“Do… you want… to have a baby with me?”

Up until this moment, Hibiki had never really understood the expression “loud silence.” Silence was, well, silent, so how could it be loud? Now, though, she understood it perfectly. The silence assailing her was _deafening_. It roared like a lion charging through sun-blasted fields of savannah. It tumbled like a shore at high tide, waves smashing against dizzying rocks. It sparkled and crackled and erupted in a cacophony of unspoken jubilations. It set her nerves alight with a fire that seemed to reach to the heavens. When asked about this moment years down the line, she would swear it was full of noise and chaos and wonder. Even though not a single word escaped from her stunned mouth.

“Hibiki?” Miku tentatively glanced up. “I-it’s okay, never mind. I didn’t want to-“

And that’s where she was cut off, because Hibiki burst into a sitting position and kissed Miku harder than she’d ever kissed her before.

The frenzied movement sent the bedsheet spiraling off the bed. Miku floundered backward in shock, only just propping herself up on her elbows. Hibiki kissed her like she’d been waiting all her life to do so. She kissed her like it was the only thing keeping her from breaking down in tears. She kissed her like there was no other choice, as if the fabric of the universe allowed no other possibility _but_ for Hibiki to kiss her and never stop. She kissed her like a sinner cleansing her sins in holy water. She kissed her like a promise. She kissed her like a prayer. She kissed her in a million different languages, each one more eager and yearning than the last. And she kissed her in the language of a single word, perhaps the simplest word of all: _Yes_.

Miku answered every last one of them.

By the time they broke apart, it wasn’t clear who had started crying first and when. Not that it mattered much anymore. They were both panting for breath, almost shivering with ecstasy. Miku stared at Hibiki as if seeing her for the first time. And Hibiki stared back, basking in the glow of the warmest place she would ever know.

“Hibiki…” Miku whispered.

Hibiki felt warmth spreading from her face to the tips of her toes. On instinct, she smiled bashfully. “Was that a clear enough answer?”

And just like that, Miku burst out laughing. Not giggling, but full-throated peals of laughter ringing out through the silent night. She wrapped Hibiki in an embrace and let herself sink into her. “Oh, Hibiki,” she gasped out, “Thank you!”

“Miku!” Hibiki returned her embrace without a second thought. No other words came to mind. The only thing she could possibly think of was the incredible woman she married. “Miku!”

They clung to each other in the dead of night, two young women on the verge of the rest of their lives. Hibiki held Miku close, feeling her tremble against her. But these were no longer the fearful trembles caused by nightmares that would never truly go away. These were the joyful trembles of someone who’s heart was on the verge of bursting. And Hibiki trembled with her, no longer caring how hard she was blushing. Let her turn as red as Chris’ fashion sense; if it was for Miku, she’d bear that embarrassment a million times more.

A baby. They were going to have a baby. When the euphoria settled down, Hibiki was certain this decision would require a lot of thought. How would they go about having one? Would one of them carry it? Would they decide on adoption? There were so many factors and responsibilities she could barely even conceive of them all. But right now, that didn’t matter. Because it was _Miku_. Because it was _them_. They’d saved- no, strike that, they’d _changed_ the world together. They’d proven humanity’s ability to connect greater than ever before. Surely compared to all that, raising a child would be nothing at all.

Hibiki buried her face in Miku’s shoulder. Sometimes, it scared her how much she loved her. Her sunshine did so much for her, it felt like she could never repay her. But no matter how scary it got, Hibiki would never let her go. She would love Miku with all her heart and soul. She would love her honestly and without reservation, through all the joy and hardship they shared. She would love her because she deserved to be loved by her. And maybe someday, her love really could be enough.

“Thank _you,_ ” she whispered. “Thank you for everything.”

_Thank you for letting me love you._

As if hearing her thoughts, Miku squeezed her tighter. “Always.”

And the warm summer evening wrapped them in a cocoon, ready for them to break free in metamorphosis as a new day crept closer on the horizon.

**Author's Note:**

> In case you're curious, yes, all my Hibimiku fics take place in the same continuity. You're welcome. Be sure to comment your thoughts and leave kudos if you enjoyed it!


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